The Dawn of a New Era

I wasn't all that interested in the mission to Mars until I saw this slideshow and read this:

A scoop on Phoenix Mars will dig 20 inches into the Martian soil, into a layer of ice. For a decade, NASA's mantra on Mars exploration has been "follow the water." This will be the first time that instruments will actually touch some of Mars's water. Phoenix Mars does not have any instruments for directly detecting life, but it will be able to detect chemical signals that might indicate whether Mars was habitable for life.

Very cool! It's amazing to me how simple and yet fundamental water is to life, as we perceive it.

Kudos, NASA!